While news of more layoffs, cutbacks and bankruptcies mark the turbulence of a troubled economy, a fringe market found in Larimer County and in cities and towns from coast to coast is seeing stable prices and steady business. It's the market that sells Bubblegum, but not the pink kind you chewed as a child; Diesel, but not the type that fills big rigs; and Swag, but not the freebie give-away kind.
Call it what you will, but the marijuana market is certainly alive and well.
And although it may not be fully recession-proof, it isn't shaken much by what happens on Wall Street. The marijuana market exists in a no-mans-land where lines are easily blurred.
"There's the white market where you can by tomatoes, the black market where you find c*****e and other illicit drugs, and then there is the gray market where marijuana exists," said Brian Vicente, a criminal defense attorney in Denver who specializes in marijuana laws, including those that govern its medical use.
This smoky shade of gray is painted by state laws such as Colorado's Amendment 20, which legalizes the growth, distribution and possession of marijuana for medical purposes. Meanwhile, anything to do with marijuana–medical or otherwise–is illegal on the federal level, which leaves law enforcement wary on how to proceed.
A few weeks ago, Larimer County Sheriff's Office investigators seized 1,307 marijuana plants and 47 pounds of pot with an estimated street value of $1.15 million–the largest bust in one location in county history. So far two arrests have been made, but the investigation is ongoing and additional felony charges are pending.
Despite such highly publicized raids, users and law enforcement officials say major busts haven't impacted the market, particularly because marijuana is so readily available. In fact, the downturn of the financial market may actually boost the marijuana market in some places.
David Bienenstock, senior editor of High Times and author of The Official High Times Pot Smoker's Handbook, said some smokers may cut down on how much marijuana they purchase or how much they spend, but it will not likely be the first item people cut out of their budgets. He said smoking marijuana is a relatively inexpensive entertainment option, so people may choose to stay at home, smoke a bowl and watch a movie over going out to dinner or the bars. He added that the tough times may actually draw more people to the underground business.
"For a lot of people who have lost a job, the idea of growing their own job is extremely attractive," Bienenstock said. "In a time of high unemployment rates, it's much harder to find a job and this is something they can get into with low overhead. ... Depending on where they live there are various risks, but when people are forced out of the main economy, they will enter the gray economy."
It's a matter of supply and demand. And apparently as long as there is a demand, there will be an ample supply, whether the product is bought on the white market or the gray market. In comparison to other illegal substances like cocaine, which usually comes from outside the country through very specific and narrow channels, marijuana can come from everywhere.
"It's so decentralized, so there is no cartel to break up," Bienenstock said. "There are big growers and people who get rich, but there are no kingpins of pot."
Essentially, pockets of pot culture can be found just about anywhere, but college towns tend to have a higher rates of use. Because marijuana is fairly easy to grow, it is difficult to typecast the dealers, which makes law enforcement more problematic.
The number of marijuana busts within a community is directly dependent on the number of resources the department is willing to devote, which often varies greatly among departments. The FBI estimates a total 872,720 marijuana arrests were made in the United States last year–which accounted for about 47 percent of all drug arrests. Of those, about 97,583 were for marijuana trafficking or sales and 775,137 were for marijuana possession.
Some say Larimer County has a reputation for being more aggressive than other departments when it comes to marijuana crackdowns. Vicente, who is also the executive director of Sensible Colorado, a nonprofit group that focuses on drug policy, said he has received tons of calls from medical marijuana patients and caregivers who say they are living in fear in Fort Collins.
But Sgt. Joe Shellhammer, supervisor of the Sheriff's Office's criminal impact unit, said marijuana busts are only a small part of what his unit does. With a team of six, the unit is also in charge of gang suppression and violence, sex offender monitoring, street level narcotics and felony warrants. He said it's a constant balancing act that requires a lot of prioritizing. It's common for marijuana cases to take the back seat to other cases that involve higher risks. Last year, his unit shut down about 16 growing operations that had 200 marijuana plants or more.
"We haven't had as many this year, not because they aren't out there but because all these other cases kept popping up, and we had to move the bigger ones to the forefront," he said.
Shellhammer and Sheriff Jim Alderden say marijuana is a cause for concern because it does have its effects on the community. They added that with many of the larger busts, other crimes have also been committed such as theft or distribution of other illegal substances.
"It's a problem from a society perspective because there is such a high demand," Alderden said. "It speaks to the degradation of our culture because so many people depend on illicit substances either for survival or recreation."
Alderden vehemently opposes marijuana–both the medical and recreational uses– and claims it clouds the job of law enforcement. In a recent posting in his blog, The Bull's-eye, he expressed his distaste and disagreement with Amendment 20 saying, "We have to enforce a law that has more questions than answers, and it's almost impossible to fix since it's a Constitutional Amendment and not statute."
If a plant is destroyed during a search, and it is later determined that the person had properly followed the medical marijuana protocol, the law enforcement agency can be liable for destruction of property. For this reason some administrators would rather turn a blind eye to growing operations, but Alderden encourages his team to go after pot producers when they are identified.
"We aren't picking on the person with six plants who has glaucoma," Shellhammer said. "We are absolutely not doing that. That is the least of our worries. We are concentrated on the drug dealer hiding under the umbrella."
The issue of legalizing marijuana has long been a controversial issue. Vicente, along with other marijuana advocates say the drug should be allowed in the regulated market where communities could see a tax benefit. He said prohibition drives up the cost which only increases the profit margin of drug dealers.
Like wine, certain varieties of marijuana come at a higher price than others. Part of that has to do with scarcity of a particular strand. Bienenstock said demand often breaks down by region. Fort Collins is reportedly known to have high quality marijuana that is not moldy and has few twigs and sticks. Swag is frowned upon, but popular types include hydroponic, dank or chronic.
Several users in Fort Collins contacted for this story said the going rate in Fort Collins is about $50 for an eighth of an ounce. When buying in bulk, marijuana is usually sold at a discounted rate. Although the price may fluctuate, it's not usually more than by $20.
Bienenstock said he has never been commercially involved in marijuana cultivation, but over the years has met numerous people who have been.
"With some exceptions, they are good people," he said. "We need to allow them to make a living and welcome them as contributing members of society, and shouldn't spend our resources hassling people. When we get down to making tough decisions and prioritizing as a country, we need to rethink this one."
News Hawk- Ganjarden 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: Fort Collins Now
Author: Erin Frustaci
Contact: Fort Collins Now
Copyright: 2008
Website: The Dope On Dope
Call it what you will, but the marijuana market is certainly alive and well.
And although it may not be fully recession-proof, it isn't shaken much by what happens on Wall Street. The marijuana market exists in a no-mans-land where lines are easily blurred.
"There's the white market where you can by tomatoes, the black market where you find c*****e and other illicit drugs, and then there is the gray market where marijuana exists," said Brian Vicente, a criminal defense attorney in Denver who specializes in marijuana laws, including those that govern its medical use.
This smoky shade of gray is painted by state laws such as Colorado's Amendment 20, which legalizes the growth, distribution and possession of marijuana for medical purposes. Meanwhile, anything to do with marijuana–medical or otherwise–is illegal on the federal level, which leaves law enforcement wary on how to proceed.
A few weeks ago, Larimer County Sheriff's Office investigators seized 1,307 marijuana plants and 47 pounds of pot with an estimated street value of $1.15 million–the largest bust in one location in county history. So far two arrests have been made, but the investigation is ongoing and additional felony charges are pending.
Despite such highly publicized raids, users and law enforcement officials say major busts haven't impacted the market, particularly because marijuana is so readily available. In fact, the downturn of the financial market may actually boost the marijuana market in some places.
David Bienenstock, senior editor of High Times and author of The Official High Times Pot Smoker's Handbook, said some smokers may cut down on how much marijuana they purchase or how much they spend, but it will not likely be the first item people cut out of their budgets. He said smoking marijuana is a relatively inexpensive entertainment option, so people may choose to stay at home, smoke a bowl and watch a movie over going out to dinner or the bars. He added that the tough times may actually draw more people to the underground business.
"For a lot of people who have lost a job, the idea of growing their own job is extremely attractive," Bienenstock said. "In a time of high unemployment rates, it's much harder to find a job and this is something they can get into with low overhead. ... Depending on where they live there are various risks, but when people are forced out of the main economy, they will enter the gray economy."
It's a matter of supply and demand. And apparently as long as there is a demand, there will be an ample supply, whether the product is bought on the white market or the gray market. In comparison to other illegal substances like cocaine, which usually comes from outside the country through very specific and narrow channels, marijuana can come from everywhere.
"It's so decentralized, so there is no cartel to break up," Bienenstock said. "There are big growers and people who get rich, but there are no kingpins of pot."
Essentially, pockets of pot culture can be found just about anywhere, but college towns tend to have a higher rates of use. Because marijuana is fairly easy to grow, it is difficult to typecast the dealers, which makes law enforcement more problematic.
The number of marijuana busts within a community is directly dependent on the number of resources the department is willing to devote, which often varies greatly among departments. The FBI estimates a total 872,720 marijuana arrests were made in the United States last year–which accounted for about 47 percent of all drug arrests. Of those, about 97,583 were for marijuana trafficking or sales and 775,137 were for marijuana possession.
Some say Larimer County has a reputation for being more aggressive than other departments when it comes to marijuana crackdowns. Vicente, who is also the executive director of Sensible Colorado, a nonprofit group that focuses on drug policy, said he has received tons of calls from medical marijuana patients and caregivers who say they are living in fear in Fort Collins.
But Sgt. Joe Shellhammer, supervisor of the Sheriff's Office's criminal impact unit, said marijuana busts are only a small part of what his unit does. With a team of six, the unit is also in charge of gang suppression and violence, sex offender monitoring, street level narcotics and felony warrants. He said it's a constant balancing act that requires a lot of prioritizing. It's common for marijuana cases to take the back seat to other cases that involve higher risks. Last year, his unit shut down about 16 growing operations that had 200 marijuana plants or more.
"We haven't had as many this year, not because they aren't out there but because all these other cases kept popping up, and we had to move the bigger ones to the forefront," he said.
Shellhammer and Sheriff Jim Alderden say marijuana is a cause for concern because it does have its effects on the community. They added that with many of the larger busts, other crimes have also been committed such as theft or distribution of other illegal substances.
"It's a problem from a society perspective because there is such a high demand," Alderden said. "It speaks to the degradation of our culture because so many people depend on illicit substances either for survival or recreation."
Alderden vehemently opposes marijuana–both the medical and recreational uses– and claims it clouds the job of law enforcement. In a recent posting in his blog, The Bull's-eye, he expressed his distaste and disagreement with Amendment 20 saying, "We have to enforce a law that has more questions than answers, and it's almost impossible to fix since it's a Constitutional Amendment and not statute."
If a plant is destroyed during a search, and it is later determined that the person had properly followed the medical marijuana protocol, the law enforcement agency can be liable for destruction of property. For this reason some administrators would rather turn a blind eye to growing operations, but Alderden encourages his team to go after pot producers when they are identified.
"We aren't picking on the person with six plants who has glaucoma," Shellhammer said. "We are absolutely not doing that. That is the least of our worries. We are concentrated on the drug dealer hiding under the umbrella."
The issue of legalizing marijuana has long been a controversial issue. Vicente, along with other marijuana advocates say the drug should be allowed in the regulated market where communities could see a tax benefit. He said prohibition drives up the cost which only increases the profit margin of drug dealers.
Like wine, certain varieties of marijuana come at a higher price than others. Part of that has to do with scarcity of a particular strand. Bienenstock said demand often breaks down by region. Fort Collins is reportedly known to have high quality marijuana that is not moldy and has few twigs and sticks. Swag is frowned upon, but popular types include hydroponic, dank or chronic.
Several users in Fort Collins contacted for this story said the going rate in Fort Collins is about $50 for an eighth of an ounce. When buying in bulk, marijuana is usually sold at a discounted rate. Although the price may fluctuate, it's not usually more than by $20.
Bienenstock said he has never been commercially involved in marijuana cultivation, but over the years has met numerous people who have been.
"With some exceptions, they are good people," he said. "We need to allow them to make a living and welcome them as contributing members of society, and shouldn't spend our resources hassling people. When we get down to making tough decisions and prioritizing as a country, we need to rethink this one."
News Hawk- Ganjarden 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: Fort Collins Now
Author: Erin Frustaci
Contact: Fort Collins Now
Copyright: 2008
Website: The Dope On Dope
